Minimum Wage: FG Raises Workers’ Hope

The Federal Government, yesterday, raised the hope of Nigerian workers with the recommendation of a 29-member Minimum Wage Committee that will work out modalities for with a new minimum wage that will bring relief to the work force
Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, who disclosed this while presenting the report of the Technical Committee on Minimum Wage and Palliatives to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Babachir David Lawal, said the welfare of Nigerian workers was key to the change agenda of the current administration.
The technical committee set up by the Federal Government will also be a secretariat of the committee to be domiciled at the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission.
Eight persons are to represent the Federal Government, organised labour, private sector and three members representing the state governments to be drawn from the Governors Forum, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governors Forum and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum.
These were disclosed, yesterday, in Abuja when the chairman of committee and Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, submitted its report to the Federal Government through the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Babachir Lawal.
It will be recalled that the Federal Government set up the committee to work out palliatives to cushion the effects of the pump price increase as well as look into the review of the minimum wage which is a constitutional matter in the wake of May 2016, upward review of the pump price of premium motor spirit, PMS, from N96 per litre to between N143 to N145.
The committee comprising labour and government, inaugurated on May 17, 2016. Speaking while handing over the document to the main Committee on Minimum Wage and Palliatives headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Lawal, Senator Ngige said that the welfare of Nigerian workers was key to the change Agenda of the current administration.
According to him: “We have no problem in tackling the issue of the minimum wage. We recommended a 29-man Minimum Wage Committee to be chaired by a reputable Nigerian, who will be neutral and non-partisan, with labour and civil service experience so that the person would be on a familiar turf.
There will also be a secretary with the secretariat of the committee to be domiciled at the National Salaries Income and Wages Commission.
Eight persons are expected to represent each of the following; the Federal Government, organised labour, private sector and three members representing the state government to be drawn from the Governors Forum, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Governors Forum and the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Governors’ Forum.”
“Recall that in May 2016, the Federal Government effected an upward review of the pump price of premium motor spirit to between N143 to N145 and on May 17, set up a Committee comprising labour and government to work out palliatives to cushion the effects of the pump price increase as well as look into the review of the minimum wage which is a constitutional matter.
Government did this knowing full well the attendant sufferings which the nation’s workforce, indeed, regular Nigerians were passing through as a result of this tough government decision, taken anyway in the overall interest of the generality of the people.
“The current administration of President Muhammadu Buhari had no option than to demonstrate that whatever decision it had taken was in pursuit of the wellbeing of the citizenry.
And today, the report of the technical committee is ready and we are confident that its far reaching submissions will make a lot of meaning in the life of the Nigerian worker and that of his family.”
He further said that the submissions of his committee were in two volumes comprising the Minimum Wage and the Palliatives.
He noted that the minimum wage was last reviewed in 2010 and signed into law in 2011 under the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, adding that the current exercise was in compliance to a five –year constitutional provision on minimum wage review.
On Palliatives, the Minister said that the Committee identified dwindling economic fortunes of the Federal Government as the major problem having taken submissions from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Budget and Planning as well as the Ministry of Finance.
He however, enthused that the committee made far reaching recommendations capable of alleviating the sufferings of the masses.